Stress and other reasons why you cant sleep

Insomnia is due to a variety of reasons. Here are some of them, according to MediCard President Dr. Nicky Montoya.

Stress

Stress as well as overthinking can keep you from getting a good nights sleep. To ease anxiety during bedtime, try to meditate and exercise during the day. If you wake up in the middle of the night and cant fall back to sleep, get out of bed and do something that relaxes you like reading a book or listening to music until you feel sleepy again.

Nighttime distractions

Noise, complete silence, temperature and mobile devices can also be reasons why you cant sleep. Make sure the temperature in your room is conducive to sleeping and opt for a night light instead of bright bulb. Avoid using your gadgets before bedtime as they emit a type of blue light, which can make you more alert. For those who have trouble sleeping in total silence, try listening to relaxing music of leave the electric fan on.

Irregular sleep schedule

Sleeping and waking up at different times, or sleeping in on weekends to make up for lost sleep on weekdays may be confusing your body clock thus you have trouble falling asleep on a regular schedule. To combat insomnia, make sure to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Lack of exercise

Engaging in physical activities are beneficial to the body as they help fight off stress. Be wary though, and do not exercise prior to bed, as this wont give your body enough time to cool down, making it difficult to sleep. Work out three to six hours before bedtime to get the maximum sleep benefits.

Midnight snack

Late night snacking or eating a heavy meal before you sleep can cause insomnia, as metabolism is slower at night. Its best not to eat within two to three hours before sleeping as well as drinking less water at night to avoid getting up to go to the bathroom.

Things you need to know about heart attack

Heart attack remains one of the main causes of death every year. It happens when theres a lack of oxygenated blood flow to the coronary arteries due to plaque of buildup, causing permanent damage to the heart. It can strike anytime, reason why its crucial to know the important things about it.

The warning signs

Some heart attacks are sudden and intense while others start slowly. Thats why you need to spot its early warning signs and symptoms: chest discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea or lightheadedness, cold sweat, and pain in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach. Even if youre not sure that youre experiencing symptoms of heart attack, it is better to consult your doctor about it because patients usually make the mistake of ignoring these signs or waiting too long before they ask for help.

Silent heart attack

It can be as dangerous as a recognized one because the attack often leaves scarring and serious damage to the heart. Signs of a heart attack can easily be shrugged off because they are common aches, like experiencing extreme fatigue, indigestion, flu-like symptoms and jaw, shoulder or neck pain. People who experienced silent heart attacks realize it only after going through tests like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or electrocardiogram (EKG). Further, those who suffered silent heart attacks are at risk of having potentially greater and fatal heart attacks.

First aid

Acting quickly and getting help immediately can help lessen heart damage and heighten the chances of survival. First, dial the emergency hotline immediately. If the person is unconscious, administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If you are the one suffering a heart attack, do not attempt to drive on your own. Keep calm and chew an aspirinwhich can prevent blood clottingif you are not allergic to it.

Heart attack prevention

Maintaining a healthy blood pressure, monitoring your cholesterol, quitting smoking, exercising, eating a balanced dietwhich contains fruits, vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains and fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acidsand most importantly, having regular check-ups are some of the several ways to prevent heart attack.

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Stress and other reasons why you can't sleep - The Standard

Colin Hay has spent half a lifetime establishing hard-won success under his own name. He left Men at Work behind with his 1987 solo debut, Looking for Jack. Stadium-sized crowds dwindled to scattered souls in small clubs during lean times. Thirtyyears later, however, Hay packs theaters like Park West or the Vic; hellperform March 10 at Thalia Hall. Audiences are now populated with devotees pining for solo gems like Waiting For My Real Life to Begin and I Just Dont Think Ill Ever Get Over You, possibly outnumbering those craving definitive 80s classics like Overkill or Who Can it Be Now?

Theres no question that thats gratifying, says Hay. For a lot of people who have been coming to see me for a long time, though, its always been somewhat conspiratorial. When it was fewer people, they werent necessarily coming to hear Down Under. They wanted to know what I was doing now. I think they even liked the fact that it was really a secret. The old songs travel with you, though, and you embrace them.

Fierce Mercy is Hays lucky 13th solo album, and finds him in top form. At 63, his voice remains impossibly youthful, easily hitting the high notes of captivating roots-pop melodies for songs like Come Tumbling Down. As an expert storyteller with a knack for bringing characters to life, Hay has infused his new material with warmth and wry humor.

Some of his subjects are close to home. Like Did You Just Take the Long Way Home from 2015s Next Year People, She Was the Love of Mine is a tender devotional to Hays late mother Isabel. She loved to live so much, he says. She was a very colorful person; very willful. In the last year of her life, when she knew she was dying, it really annoyed her. Her attitude was, I dont have time for this death nonsense. I got to spend a lot of time with her at a flat in Melbourne that I have, overlooking the bay. We would go out onto the little balcony and watch the Spirit of Tasmania go out of the port as the sun went down.

The recent documentary film Waiting For My Real Life describes Hays rocket ship to stardom and ensuing crash, and years lost to alcohol. It also illustrates his steady, incremental return, with a portrait of creativity as his salvation. One Fierce Mercy song called Im Going to Get You Stoned reveals Hays perspective on the value of time. These days, hes determined to squeeze the essence from each moment: Sure beats lying in the sun, he sings.

I always fantasize about relaxing, says Hay. Im actually not that bad at it. Its just that I like to relax in the studio. Youre surrounded by sexy red blinking lights and guitars and drums and a piano. Its a great place to be. I like diving in the ocean, but the idea of just lying around is not for me.

* Colin Hay, 8 p.m. Mar. 10, Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport, $29-$65; thaliahallchicago.com.

Jeff Elbel is a local freelance writer.

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In the music spotlight: Colin Hay - Chicago Sun-Times

FX

Composer Jeff Russos psychedelic work complements the FX seriess themes

Though the shows are drastically different in most ways, FX's Fargo and the network's new Marvel series Legion have remarkably similar approaches to music. In Fargo, which began airing in 2014, composer Jeff Russo who also helms Legion's soundtrack uses a wondrous orchestra to depict the show's mountainous, wintry geography with swooping, scenic string arrangements that suggest a feeling of awe and smallness. In Legion, the daunting peaks are within the psyche of the show's lead character, David Haller (played by Dan Stevens). Since he was a toddler, David has been convinced by doctors and relatives that the hallucinations and projections caused by his latent telepathic and telekinetic powers are symptoms of schizophrenia, and thus unreal, rather than genuine abilities produced by his mutant gene. After being defined by mental illness for most of his life, only to have the bubble suddenly burst, David questions his observable reality, just as we in the audience wonder how much we can trust the events we're watching.

If Legion sounds convoluted, well, duh. It's an X-Men spin-off, so multiple, interlacing timelines, parallel universes, and pointed sociopolitical messaging are all fair game. But the show uniquely reiterates these longtime themes by positioning the audience inside the troubled perspective of its lead character. Russo's sublime compositions which have been available to stream as a 20-song soundtrack since late last month, and will be available in stores on March 24 are a major part of this, daring the listener to engage with the flimsiness of our own senses. Even without visual imagery or dialogue, Russo's high-flying string quartets and psychedelic synth arrangements push us to hear an altered reality.

Russo's work for the Legion soundtrack invites us to consider the evolution of a single psyche, from twinkling beginnings to mind-shattering nadirs to moments of revelation. Things begin innocuously enough with "Young David," which plays out the hope of a new life, with atonal ambience lightly kissed by xylophone flourishes and twinkling pianos. A distant, muted bugle signals David's arrival in the world around the four-minute mark, and strings rise upward with the wide-eyed curiosity of a toddler reaching for the stars. The mood shifts on "David in Clockworks," as wordless, reverbed vocalizations introduce an element of menace. The album's third track, "174 Hours," ups the ante further: It opens with soft synths, setting a tone of quiet melancholy, before pivoting midway into loud, wordless vocals and maximalist orchestral runs that ratchet the anxiety to claustrophobic levels.

The soundtrack isn't necessarily an easy listen. This isn't an introspective or meditative instrumental album, or relaxing background music it's a piece of art that demands attention. With some judicious trimming, it could work as its own entity apart from Legion. The metronomic drum ticks on "The Caper 2" generate a thick, broadening tension that's worth listening to even if you know nothing about the show. "Choir and Crickets" uses programmed cricket chirps to suggest a similar tension, then loops in sleepy choral harmonies to soften the track. There are superhero jingles here as well this is still a Marvel franchise, after all. "Run" is formidable chase music that could be packaged with nearly any film or series involving a dramatically important footrace. The mid-album track "Clockworks" (not to be confused with the earlier "David in Clockworks") is a run-of-the-mill screech-and-squelch with little in the way of a distinct sonic character. Thankfully, these strictly functional tracks are among the soundtrack's shortest.

Russo is at his best when he's at his most playful which often happens when the music is at its most fraught. "Seeing Things Hearing Things" sounds like it was written during a tense lie-detector test, with an undercurrent of mistrust running through the sterile electric pings. It's impressive to hear how Russo evokes unease with such simplicity. While listening to the nearly five-minute track, you start to imagine being interrogated by an unknowable stranger, as the vague silences, the scratch of the pen against the graph paper, and the discreet yet audible hurr of a machine begins to plunge the mind into madness.

Part of what makes the Legion soundtrack thrilling is that it doesnt require telepathy or even guesswork, really to become enveloped in its world. In a sense, the soundtrack is a throwback, owing much of its genetic makeup to Pink Floyds 1973 masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon. (Russo has even discussed purchasing the same synthesizer, the EMS VCS3, to get closer to the albums warbly, analog psychedelic sound.) Much like that record, the Legion soundtrack succeeds by fucking with the listener. It answers questions with more questions, and presses the idea that our perceptions of time and material reality are sketchy and manipulable. Its jarring, sometimes scary stuff, but the empathy that ultimately runs through the soundtrack makes this journey to the dark side of the mind worth the fright.

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The Legion Soundtrack Is A Trip Worth Taking - MTV.com

Is organic food better for us? A growing number of scientific studies suggest that it is.

And now, the latest evidence to support this claim is a new report from the European Parliament, written by scientists at universities across Europe, including one who is also a professor at Harvard. The team reviewed the existing science on both organic food and agriculture and concluded that an organic food system offers clear health benefits.

Previous reports have looked selectively at the potential benefits of organic food and agricultureits environmental sustainability or whether it contains certain pesticide residues, for example. This report, however, takes an unusually comprehensive look at the full range of possible benefits, from nutrition to absence of toxics. Its also based on hundreds of studies that include food analyses and epidemiological and laboratory studies.

Their findings are clearest when it comes to minimizing exposure to pesticides and to antibiotics used in livestock production. But the report also found that organically grown produce tends to contain less of the toxic metal cadmiumwhich the authors note is highly relevant to human health.

Most striking in its findings is the evidence suggesting organic food can help protect children from the brain-altering effects of some pesticides. And while there is evidence of greater nutrient content in some organic foodparticularly milk and meatas health benefits, these differences appear to be less significant than organic foods lack of hazardous chemicals.

When it comes to pesticides, antibiotic resistance, and cadmium exposure, the authors write, If no action is taken, an opportunity to address some important public health issues would be missed.

The report was prepared for a European audience, but its findings clearly apply to the U.S. They did a really comprehensive job of a global literature search, so I dont think anything in the report wouldnt be applicable, said Boise State University assistant professor of community and environmental health Cynthia Curl, who researches links between diet and pesticide exposure.

Pesticides Can Damage Childrens Brains

The immediate benefit of organic food and agriculture is to avoid pesticide exposure that can damage early-life brain development, said report co-author Philippe Grandjean, a professor at the University of Southern Denmark and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

While some pesticides are allowed in organic agriculture, most of the widely used toxic ones are not. And those that are allowed are far more limited in quantity. (Food testing has confirmed that organic foods have far lower pesticide residues than conventionally grown food.) One class of pesticides that organic farmers must avoid is organophosphates. These are among the insecticides most widely used on U.S. produce and include chlorpyrifos, which is commonly applied to dozens of crops, including grapes, citrus, tree nuts, broccoli, spinach, blueberries, and strawberries.

Organophosphates are highly toxic to the nervous system. Several long-term studies have examined the impacts of chlorpyrifos exposure on childrens brain development, finding that virtually any level of exposure can adversely affect their IQs.

Scientists have also found that prenatal chlorpyrifos exposure can physically alter the development areas of the brain that control behavior, emotion, language, and memory. Prenatal exposure has also been found to cause arm tremors in children, another sign of nerve damage. Exposure to chlorpyrifos has been linked to behavioral problems, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In an interview on Harvards website, Grandjean called these impacts quite scary.

People who eat organic foods, on the other hand, have been found in multiple studies to have lower and fewer pesticidesincluding organophosphatesin their bodies than those who ate conventional food. And while such studies cant make definitive links with health impacts, they do show that eating organic food reduces pesticide exposure.

Even though the scope of this observation is limited, it is apparent that both pesticide exposure and the calculated health risks are far lower for organic products than for conventional products, says the report. As a consequence of reduced pesticide exposure, organic food consequently contributes to the avoidance of health effects and associated costs to society, write the authors, noting that research suggests these costs are currently greatly underestimated.

Organics Can Make a Dent in Antibiotic Resistance

When it comes to antibiotics, We are seeing a worrisome increase in resistant microorganisms, and agricultural uses are part of the reason, says Grandjean. He noted that World Health Organization (WHO) director Margaret Chan has called the global rise of antibiotic resistance a global crisis. Indeed, according to the WHO, more antibiotics are now used in food production than in medical care.

The report explains that organic animal agriculture is often less concentrated, crowded, and allows more space per animal. It cites studies demonstrating for these reasons and others that raising food animals organically has several positive consequences in relation to animal welfare and health, including reduced incidence of diseasehence reduced used of antibiotics. And it adds, With regards to antibiotic use, U.S. organic standards are stricter than EU standards. Generally, no animal that has received any antibiotic treatment may be labeled organic in the USA.

When practiced, the authors conclude, organic production may offer a way of restricting and even decreasing the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. Yet they acknowledge that organic production is only part of a solution to the antibiotics resistance issue.

Cadmium: Theres More in Conventional Food Than We Thought

Although its not often discussed, food is a major source of cadmium (Cd) exposure. In the U.S., leafy vegetables, potatoes, peanuts, and grains are all a primary source of cadmium exposure, says the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Cadmium is a probable human carcinogen thats also toxic to kidneys, lungs, bones, and to childrens brains, particularly if theyre exposed prenatally or through breast milk.

The report found that organically grown produce tends to have lower amounts of cadmium than conventional produce, due to differences in soil and fertilizer use. Low soil organic matter generally increases the availability of Cd for crops, and organically managed farms tend to have higher soil organic matter than conventionally managed farms, the authors explain.

Some fertilizers, including those designed to add phosphorus to soil, canbecause of their mineral contentsalso add cadmium to crops. While there is much research to be done in this area, the report says that organic agriculture could help reduce food as a source of cadmium exposure.

An Endorsement of Organic, but More Work Needed

The reports authors are clear about the fact that both individuals and public health can benefit from organics. But accessibility is still a big question. And when it comes to pesticide exposure, the scientists say more must be done to prevent ongoing harmful exposures.

Pesticide uses are changing and we need to ensure that the pesticides used from now on do not constitute a danger to children and pregnant women, said Grandjean. As it is now, pesticides are not routinely tested for effects on brain development and we ought to change that.

Boise States Curl agrees. We should have a food supply that is equally safe for everyone regardless of what they buy, she said.

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Can Organic Food Prevent a Public Health Crisis? - Civil Eats

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Organic food no longer has to use up your whole paycheck it seems Costco has finally toppled the king of organics. Not only has the wholesalerbeen outselling other conventional retailers in organics for three years, but in 2015, itofficially surpassed Whole Foods in organic food sales, reporting a whopping $4 billion as compared to Whole Foods $3.5 billion.

The recentsales victory was a turning point for the development of inexpensive organic food: Whole Foods has been reporting difficulties of late,closing nine storesafter its sixth straight quarter of same-store declines, a period the Chicago Tribune has calledthe stores worst sales slump in more than a decade.

Meanwhile, Costco and other retailers like Trader Joes have been growing their organic offerings and attracting customers with lower prices.Blogger Whole New Mom writes that she was surprised when, after transitioning to an organic, whole foods diet, her grocery bills didnt actually change much, and via a price analysis, she found that over 90 percent of organic and whole food items were less expensive at Costco, and in many cases, the price difference was dramatic.

But Costcos victory didnt happen overnight: the wholesalerhas actually been working toward this goalfor more thanfive years, according to HeatherShavey, assistant vice president and general merchandise manager at Costco, who toldWell + Goodthat the company decided to invest in organics when many other retailers thought it was a fad that would pass.

Instead, Costco took an interest in not only expanding its own organic offerings but also in the organic landscape itself. Currently, less than one percent of farmland in the U.S. is certified organic, and with a minimal 2.5 percent annual growth, the market cant sustain increasing demand for organic food, which has averaged a ten percent annual growth over the past five years.

Costco was going to have a hard time keeping up with the demand for organics unless it made some changes to these statistics.

As the largest U.S. retailer of organics, Costco is in a good position to address the supply shortage, Ronnie Cummins, the international director of the Organic Consumers Association, a nonprofit group that advocates for sustainable food production and consumption, told The Huffington Post, and this is exactly what the retailer did.

In April of last year, Costco launched a program to lend money to farmers to purchase new land and equipment in exchange for first dibs on organic produce.The storehas even purchased its own cattle and contracted with owners of organic fields in Nebraska to raise them.

Through these and other efforts, Costco is not only making organic food more affordable, its also ensuring that we have enough organic food to meet ever-growing demand its no wonder the wholesaler has become Americas favorite place to buy organic food.

Related on Organic AuthorityFor Organic Farmers, Costco Is the Future Costco Switches to Cage-Free Eggs, Changes the Industry for Good Costco Refuses to Sell GMO Salmon in its 474 Warehouse Stores

Emily Monaco is an American food and culture writer based in Paris. She loves uncovering the stories behind ingredients and exposing the face of our food system, so that consumers can make educated choices. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Vice Munchies, and Serious Eats.

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Is Costco the New Whole Foods? - Organic Authority

At a time when there is an uneasy, sometimes even volatile, divide between some communities and the police officers who are sworn to protect them, one police chief is encouraging her department to practice meditation as a way to help ease the stress of policing.

Chief Sylvia Moir, who has been the head of the Tempe Police Department in Tempe, Arizona, for the past year and has nearly 30 years of policing experience, believes teaching and practicing meditation should be a key piece of police officer development.

In policing, its essential that we respond. We dont react, Moir told ABC News' Dan Harris in an interview for his 10% Happier podcast. Without a doubt I think the [meditation] practice shows promise, getting us to be present, not take triggers, not take the bait that makes us react and if the practice can get us to see the perspective of another to enhance our compassion, then I think it does lend itself to broader application in policing.

Its important for officers to be tactically sound and physically fit, Moir said. She practices mindfulness, a series of meditation techniques that are designed to slow the mind, focus on the breath and bring attention back from distraction, as well as gratitude -- focusing on positive emotions.

I really practice gratitude a lot, she said. I say thank you for the people that come at me with anger, I say thank you for things I used to fight against, and its given me a really interesting kind of path.

Moir said she usually practices meditation in the early morning for about 10 minutes while sitting in a chair.

The great thing about meditation is that it takes no equipment, she said. Im a runner and Ive run, in the past, full marathons and I need my shoes and nowadays I need my GPS and I need my fuel and I need all my stuff and meditation really offers you this equipment-free practice that enriches your life.

Download and subscribe to the "10% Happier" podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music and TuneIn.

Moir spoke at length about benefits of meditation, including how it not only helps officers make smarter decisions in the field but also how it makes them more thoughtful people who see tense situations from all perspectives, not just their own.

It takes courage because theres this narrative around police officers that we are hard and tough and cynical, she said. [But] I have found police officers to be incredible people, and we view our responsibility, our duty and this call that we are guardians always and warriors when we need to be.

Moir admitted that some of her officers will grumble about whether it will make them lose their edge, but she doesnt see it that way.

Were really good at -- I call them perishable skills, the shooting, driving, defensible tactics, she said. And what were doing with mindfulness practices is were saying, Look, were going to give you a set of tools, you take it, you use it for the whole you, personal and professional, make it what works for you. Maybe a little quirky. Maybe different from what somebody else does but you make it yours.

As chief, Moir said mindfulness helps her deal with the public in high-stress situations and also lead her fellow officers. The practice has been useful, she said, in helping her realize micro-cues she may be unintentionally sending, such as a raised eyebrow or a squint, when shes meeting with an officer or a grieving family member.

I meet with a lot of people who are really angry, she said. I meet with people who are suffering, who dont feel like they have been served by the justice system ... with family members who have lost someone, [with] officers that have done wrong and Im holding them accountable ... its in those moments where I have to really engage but also listen.

Download and subscribe to the "10% Happier" podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music and TuneIn.

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Arizona police chief says meditation should be a key piece of officer ... - ABC News

Between stressful deadlines, family responsibilities, and countless social media notifications, modern life can leave many of us feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and even unhappy. If this sounds like you, meditation may provide an answer - and with meditation apps, you can now carry your own personal mindfulness trainer in your pocket. But which app should you choose? We review our pick of the best meditation apps available.

A national survey from the American Psychological Association reports that overall stress levels have increased in recent years, and a considerable number of people in the United States think that they are not doing enough to manage their stress.

So what can we do to relax and lead healthier, more fulfilling lives? One answer may come from meditation - the ancient, holistic practice that aims to bring us into the present, soothe our worries, and improve our overall well-being.

Evidence suggests that meditation is good for our health; it lowers our blood pressure, alleviates several gastrointestinal disorders, and helps to relieve anxiety and insomnia.

Smartphone users can now install their own meditation trainer with a tap of the finger. With almost 1,000 apps to choose from, however, knowing which one is right for you can be challenging. To help narrow down the choice, we tried some out for ourselves.

All the apps we review here are available on both Android and iOS.

Probably the most popular meditation app, Headspace was also ranked first in a comprehensive review of meditation apps regarding functionality and user satisfaction. We were therefore thrilled to give it a go and see what the hype is all about.

The app offers a 10-day free trial that takes you through the entire foundation level, called Take 10. Throughout, you are guided by Andy's reassuring voice - that is, Andy Puddicombe, the former Buddhist monk, inspirational TED speaker, and founder of the app.

We loved how friendly this app is, with a pastel-colored interface that feels lively without being intrusive, enchanting illustrations, and an introductory video great for those who have never tried meditating before.

Take 10 is peppered with colorful animations that motivate and bring you back on track when you feel you have lost your focus, as well as creative analogies that support and sustain you in your journey: "Imagine yourself sitting by the side of a busy road. The passing cars representing the thoughts and the feelings."

For $7.99 you can access the entire app, but only if you have completed the foundation level - a great way to ensure that users actually go through the motions and fully benefit from the training. After unlocking the first level, you are rewarded with a message of kindness and self-love: "Be kind to your mind, don't be too self-critical." After this, you are granted access to everything that Headspace has to offer, and it is a lot.

The app has a wide array of purpose-specific series, covering almost every aspect of life: health, relationships, sports, and performance. Each series has themed subpacks of up to 30 sessions. Add to these the one-off meditations - tailored to needs as specific as "fear of flying" or "commuting" - and the result is a vast universe of mindfulness, with hundreds of different sessions to choose from.

With a sleek business feel to it, Whil is primarily aimed at companies wishing to bring an extra bit of focus and happiness to the workplace.

Whil provides personalized, goal-centered training programs for each employee. Companies can choose from four training options: the teen-focused "Grow," the adult-centered "Thrive," the Google-born "Lead" - which centers on emotional intelligence, teamwork, and leadership - and finally "Move," a yoga program intended to exercise the mind and body.

Each option includes tens of programs, adding up to hundreds of sessions. Additionally, individual, on-demand "Whilpower" sessions are available for relieving negative emotions or boosting positive ones, as well as for improving sleep.

A distinctive feature that we found appealing is the HIPAA-compliant analytics dashboard. Whil allows individuals to track their own progress like any good app, but in a couple of weeks, they will also be rolling out the administrator analytics dashboard, enabling companies to track the well-being of their workplace community.

The focus on quantifying the employees' well-being with the ultimate goal of increasing productivity might seem cold and off-puttingly programmatic. But Whil grounds its approach in rich scientific data: economically, stress costs the U.S. approximately $300 billion per year in absenteeism, medical costs, or low productivity; statistically, 83 percent of people rank work as their primary source of stress; and, finally, from a neuroscientific point of view, the brain's ability to rewire itself offers amazing opportunities for improvement.

Whil seems to have put the science to good use, as we tried out the sessions designed for individuals - which are completely free - and found them very effective. The app allows you to set very specific goals, making it easier to stay motivated. We chose "Sleep better and feel rested," completed the breathing exercises, and started yawning within minutes. Overall, Whil comes across as an efficient and uncomplicated tool, capable of providing immediate results.

A self-titled "Meditation Timer & Tracker," Sattva seems to be aimed at more experienced and autonomous meditators. It does not offer sessions specifically designed for beginners, and the overall experience feels less "gamified" compared with some of the other apps.

On iOS, Sattva integrates seamlessly with the Health app, pulling information on your heart rate and blood pressure. Apple Watch lovers will be happy to know that the app is also available on their device. You can choose to do a "Quick start," a "Guided meditation," or a "Chant."

Before and after the sessions, you can have your heart rate measured with a simple tap; Sattva uses your phone's camera to take your pulse using just your fingertip.

You can download most of the meditations and chants for free. We tried "Transforming emotions," which starts gently with breathing exercises, transitions smoothly toward a nonjudgmental acceptance of your negative emotions, and ends with a smile. For $1.99, we found "Happiness with Sri Sri" - that is, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual leader and founder of the The Art of Living.

Sattva feels very calculated and data-driven. The dashboard counts the total number of minutes you have spent meditating, averages out your beats per minute, tells you when your last session was, your current and best streak, how many other people are meditating, the number of challenges completed, trophies achieved, and much more.

The dashboard also includes a leaderboard, which informs you where you rank among your meditating friends - a competitive approach we thought to run slightly against the ethos of mindful meditation.

Additionally, we thought that some of the stats were a touch redundant. For instance, the "Total minutes" of meditation can be found in the main dashboard screen, under the "More" button, and in the profile section, as well as under "Community." We did enjoy the small pieces of motivational wisdom sprinkled throughout the app, however, alongside the easy-to-access recommendations.

Both Smiling Mind and Headspace were reviewed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale. Of the 23 apps included, Smiling Mind came out second, so we were very excited to try it out for ourselves.

Every session starts by asking you to assess your mood based on three criteria: happiness, contentedness, and alertness. At the end of the session, you are sent back into the world "with a smile on your mind."

The app offers three modules: "Smiling Mind for Wellbeing" (aimed at adults), "Smiling Mind in Education," and "Smiling Mind in the Workplace." The adult program offers 10 modules making up a total of 42 sessions, along with "Bite Size" sessions of between 1 and 3 minutes, "Extended Meditations", and sessions intended to complement regular sports activities.

What we loved most about the app is the focus it places on children and teens. Smiling Mind offers programs for children of various age groups, centered around their experience of growing up.

From slowly discovering who they are and gaining a sense of independence, to learning how to interact socially and respect others, the app offers support for the potential challenges of being a child. Finally, the program for 16- to 18-year-olds aims to help teens plan for the future as they transition into being young adults.

You may wonder what mindfulness can offer to such a young audience, but the sessions are creative, imaginative, and seem well attuned to a young sensibility. Children are invited "on a journey to the Land of Mindfulness - a place inside you where you are safe and strong." They are asked to imagine that they are seaweed that is being gently rocked by the current, or to "put a smile on their mind" by making a happy wish for themselves in a magical tree.

The app is completely free, but if you feel grateful for it, you can make a donation to help Smiling Mind bring mindfulness to all Australian schools.

Simply called "Breathe" on a smartphone, this app invites you to check in by closing your eyes and dimming the screen for a few seconds. Then, it invites you to assess how you feel - but there is a twist.

What we really liked about Breathe is that it offers a much wider range of feelings to choose from, and harnesses your input more effectively than other apps.

When checking in, you can select up to five feelings from five different categories - ranging from very happy to very sad - and each of these categories has up to 35 different emotions to choose from. Breathe makes you feel that your emotions really matter, as the selections are fed into an algorithm that then comes up with more than 25 meditations tailored to your needs.

Some of these sessions require a premium membership, which costs $4.99 per month. The sessions are a combination of meditations, breathing exercises, yoga, and even acupressure videos. We tried the "Deep Breathing" premium meditation, and we liked that it prepares you for the possibility that you might get lightheaded - something that occurs quite often when you are a beginner, but which has not been addressed by the other apps.

Overall, Breathe is an ultragamified, particularly beginner-friendly app. At the end of each session, you are asked to re-evaluate your state of mind and body, and you are rewarded with unexpected stickers and awards. The app offers a "Learn to meditate" pack that uses simple words and straightforward science to explain what meditation is and how it benefits the mind.

With its friendly interface, simple explanations, and cute illustrations, Breathe is perfect for those wishing to step down the path of mindfulness for the very first time.

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Five of the best meditation apps: Which one is right for you? - Medical News Today

Low-slung volumes stretch along either side of central outdoor spaces at this family home in Northern California, by American firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

The project's name, the Los Altos Residence, refers to the Silicon Valley city where the home is located. The family dwelling which consists of a main home and guest house is situated within an established neighbourhood dotted with shade trees.

"Nestled amongst neighbouring houses and a landscape of mature trees, the residence maintains a sense of privacy and offers this young family reprieve from the bustle of daily activities," said Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which has three offices in Pennsylvania, along with locations in Seattle and San Francisco.

"The simple layout and detailing of this single-story residence, with its numerous connections to the surrounding landscape, create a home that is both calm and restful."

Meant to be a modernist reinterpretation of a ranch-style home, the wood-clad building consists of rectilinear volumes arranged around outdoors spaces. The dwelling takes full advantage of the area's mild climate and verdant landscape.

"While windows and doors fill interiors with air and light, they also frame views of the diverse flora surrounding the home," the firm said.

The front of the home was designed around an existing Japanese maple tree, which serves as "a vestige of the previous landscape and the relationship shared between residence and site".

Totalling 4,151 square feet (385 square metres), the main house is H-shaped in plan. One side houses a garage and office, while the other contains a workshop, an exercise room, a bedroom and the master suite.

"In the master bedroom, one can hear the trickling of water and quiet rustling of trees coming from the meditation garden just outside," the firm said.

The connecting bar houses the kitchen, dining area and living room. This open-plan, double-height zone leads to an expansive terrace, which is shaded by deep roof overhangs.

"In the living room, a wall of sliding glass doors blurs the line between indoors and out, opening to the back patio overlooking a meadow of tall grasses," the studio described. "It is these moments, when the outdoors extend inside, that help anchor the building to site."

The backyard lined with a board-formed concrete wall features a slender pool, a meadow and a "contemplation garden".

Located in the rear of the linear property, the 479-square-foot guest house (44 square metres) contains sleeping quarters and a living room.

The team chose materials to help create a calm atmosphere. "The home is detailed with a natural, crisp palette, reflecting the client's fondness for simplicity and tranquillity," the firm said.

A variety of woods including Douglas fir, Western red cedar, and grey elm were used throughout the dwelling to create a sense of warmth. These contrast with more industrial-style elements, such as polished concrete floors and exposed structural steel columns and beams.

In the dining area, a 10-foot-long (three-metre) table was made using locally sourced walnut. Its natural edge is meant to balance the "clean lines of the living room", which includes a partition and fireplace made of textured concrete.

"Additional furnishings reinforce the client's desire for a minimalist environment," the firm said.

Minimising the project's environmental impact was a major concern for the clients. In response, the team incorporated a number of sustainable strategies, including operable windows, concrete radiant floors, low-flow plumbing fixtures, a well-insulated building envelope and a "cool roof" made using single-ply thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO).

Much of the home's energy and hot water is generated via photovoltaic and solar panels on the roof. The property also features zoned drip-irrigation and native plants that require little maintenance and watering.

Other projects by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson include a series of piste-side cabins in California that allow residents to ski in and out, and a collection of summer dwellings for residents studying at Fallingwater the famed 1930s home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Photography is by Nic Lehoux.

Project credits:

Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Design team: Gregory Mottola, FAIA, design principal; Laing Chung, project manager; Priya Mara, RA, project manager; Joe DiNapoli, RA, team member; Lauren Ross, team member; Michael Waltner, RA, team member General contractor: Matarozzi Pelsinger Builders Civil engineers and surveyors: Kier & Wright Structural: Umerani Associates MEP: Taylor Engineers Electrical: The Engineering Enterprise Landscape: Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture T24 and green building: Integral Impact Green building: Design and Energy Waterproofing: Neumann Sloat Blanco Lighting: BANKS | RAMOS Architectural Lighting AV: Metro Eighteen Geotechnical: Murray Engineers, Inc.

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Bohlin Cywinski Jackson creates Silicon Valley residence with pool and meditation garden - Dezeen

MADISON In addition to Mahjongg, canasta, bridge, ping pong, poker, coloring, trips and movies, the Madison Senior Center inside the Madison Civic Center at 28 Walnut St. has added more fitness programming to its schedule.

Popular instructor Donna Sue Dowton will continue to lead classes in Stretch and Flex, Not Your Daughters Yoga and Balance and Stability. In addition, she has introduced Meditation, a twice-monthly class in the Senior Centers Activities Room, designed to educate adults about the benefits of guided breathing and relaxation exercises.

A classroom setting is less likely to have the distractions of a home setting, and the guided exercises allow students to concentrate on the fundamentals rather than sequence, Dowton explained.

Among the benefits of meditation, Dowton noted, are lower blood pressure, improved blood circulation, lower heart rate, slower respiratory rate, less anxiety, deeper relaxation and better sleep. For an additional charge of $10, a 40-page booklet and CD can be purchased.

The meditation classes is under way and will continue on the first and third Tuesday of each month. There is a $5 fee per class which is billed on a quarterly basis.

Registration is ongoing for Stretch and Flex, Balance and Stability and Not Your Daughters Yoga.

Stretch and Flex is held at 10:30 a.m. Mondays and at 9 a.m. Thursdays, and students can sign up for once-weekly or twice-weekly classes. The yoga class meets at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, and the balance class is held at 1:15 p.m. Wednesdays.

The fee is $60 for a 12-week series. Donna Sue Dowton is a certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor who has worked exclusively with senior citizens since 2001. Her training includes certifications in balance, posture, anatomy, chair yoga, and exercise for people with joint replacements, arthritis, and osteoporosis.

All classes are held on the upper level of the Madison Civic Center at 28 Walnut St. For information, call (973) 593-3095.

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Meditation joins fitness classes at Madison Senior Center - New Jersey Hills

Youngsters and fitness fans are jumping for joy after a long-awaited trampoline park opened its doors this week.

The Jump Works, off Sydney Street in Accrington, is offering visitors an unforgettable experience that fuses both fun and fitness.

The 1 million facility opened on Saturday - nearly three weeks later than its original opening date of February 10.

The Observer reported last month how owners were forced to push back the opening as the final touches were put on the arena, but promised it would be worth the wait.

Carmela Davenport, manager at The Jump Works, said they have had a successful week so far and are looking forward to welcoming new and experience trampoline users.

She said: Its been really good. We didnt tell people we were opening until 8pm on Friday night so the fact we had any customers in was a bit of a bonus.

We had a few busy sessions and the word got round which is what we wanted.

This week is putting all the basics in place like specific sessions and fitness classes but we are open to the public and are all good to go.

The Jump Works Accrington opens

The former car business site has been transformed over the last nine months into a 30,000 sq ft facility which includes climbing walls, battle beams, inflatable total wipeout, foam pits, dodgeball courts and Olympic trampolines.

The space-themed venue also includes a spaceship style viewing area, party rooms, birthday and weekend party zones, toddlers classes, a princess room and a cafe.

Fifty new jobs have also been created.

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones and local councillors attended on Saturday to mark the opening day.

Coun Paddy Short said: Its great to see a major investment in the area.

Not only has it created local jobs, but it has created an amazing venue for young and old alike to have fun while participating in healthy excercise.

The Jump Works is open from 10am to 8pm on Monday to Friday and 9am to 9pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Prices cost 5 for fitness and toddler sessions and 8.95 for freestyle sessions. There is a minimum age limit of six years old and a maximum person weight limit of 120kg.

Users are also being warned to arrive at least 20 minutes before their booked jump time.

For more information call 01254 781117 or visit thejumpworks.co.uk.

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WATCH: Jump Works trampoline park opens its doors - Accrington Observer